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Jakarta Post

The much-debated Obama statue

Last month, a 3

Togi Pangaribuan (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sat, January 2, 2010

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The much-debated Obama statue

L

ast month, a 3.5-meter Bill Clinton statue was erected in the city of Pristina, the capital of Kosovo. Thousands of Kosovan Albanians living in Pristina cheered with glee. Bill Clinton was there and he witnessed proudly as the statue that portrays his magnified self with his left arm raised while holding a document was unveiled.

The ego-boosting charade did not end there; the boulevard where the statue is located is named the Bill Clinton Boulevard.

Earlier this month, a statue of a 10-year-old Barack Obama was erected in Taman Menteng, Central Jakarta. He is portrayed with his left hand outstretched, while a butterfly gently lands on his thumb.

He also has the Nobel Peace Prize wrapped around his neck. Inscribed below are the words: "The future belongs to those who believe in the power of their dreams", a quote paraphrased from the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945.

Unlike the Clinton statue, the Obama statue has not received as warm a welcome here in Jakarta. And because Facebook seems to be the medium to channel discontent, a page dedicated to bring down the statue has been set up, it has attracted almost 40,000 members as of today.

I am one of them and I am going to explain why. I am not going to be vehemently nationalistic about it though. Who am I kidding, maybe I will, but I will do it nicely.

First, the law. Home Affairs Minister Regulation No.1/2007 specifically provides that one of the purposes of a city park, such as the Taman Menteng, is to reflect a region's or area's identity (Article 4). A city park must also have historical value (Article 5) and a local wisdom reflecting the local culture (Article 12 paragraph (6)).

Okay, Obama did live in Menteng (Menteng Dalam to be exact) but his 4-5 year spell there did not actually reflect the area's identity, he also certainly has nothing to do with the history of Taman Menteng.

And I am sure that his Kenyan-American heritage does not reflect Jakarta's culture. There are other figures better suiting to reflect Jakarta's or Taman Menteng's identity, history and culture.

Second, Obama has not yet contributed anything significant to Indonesia, or even the world, that warrants him having a statue in, ironically, one of the nicest parks in Jakarta.

Sure, he promised change for America, secured a much-needed reform in the American health system, has a clear and well-thought out plan for Iraq and Afghanistan and apparently managed to overcome the financial crisis and increase employment in America, but all of those things are for America and not Indonesia.

Even more, as he has only been president for a year, much of his policies have been untested. His "intervention" in COP15 Copenhagen last week did not result in a binding agreement for climate change, which is something the whole world desperately needs. So, much like his Nobel peace prize, his statue is unwarranted.

Third, there are a lot of other suitable role models to inspire hope to Indonesian kids. The Friends of Obama Foundation, the people behind the statue, claimed that by erecting a statue of Obama and inscribing the words of Eleanor Roosevelt under it can inspire a number of children.

What they are forgetting is we have a lot of Indonesian heroes that have gone through a lot worse than Obama to create their dreams. To name one, Kartini. In the spirit that even Rosa Parks would be proud of, she fought the rigid norms of her time and encouraged women to take up education.

In her letter to Professor Anton dated Oct. 4, 1902, she wrote these words - that are more than worthy to be inscribed under a statue:

"We wish for education and teachings for the girls, not because we want them to compete with the boys, but because we are sure that *education* will have a significant impact to them. They will become better in doing their God-given obligation to become mothers: the first human educators."

By setting a bigger stage for Indonesian heroes for the future generation to see, we can teach them not only about the power of hope and dreaming but also arousing their curiosity about Indonesian history.

The solution I am offering is simple: move the statue to a more appropriate place, befitting of Obama's history in and connection to Indonesia. I would recommend moving it to Obama's elementary school or his old home in Menteng Dalam.

In case you are wondering why the Kosovans built a statue for Bill Clinton, well the document that the statue is holding bears the date when NATO started its air campaign to drive off Slobodan Milosevic's army who were conducting a campaign of systematic genocide against the Kosovan Albanians. Warranted.

A wise man once told me, in the 21st century, we must become a proud nationalist and a passionate internationalist. This case calls for exactly that.

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